Heated Rivalry is a Canadian sports romance television series created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney for Crave. The show is based on the Game Changers book series by Rachel Reid. It takes its name from the second book in the series, which was published in 2019. The main characters are played by Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov, two professional hockey players who keep their long-term romantic relationship a secret while playing for competing teams. Other actors in the show include François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Sophie Nélisse, and Dylan Walsh.

The series was produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment and Bell Media. Most of the filming took place in Ontario, with Hamilton serving as a main location for scenes set in New York and Moscow. Important filming spots include Dundurn Castle, the FirstOntario Concert Hall, and the Sleeman Centre in Guelph for all hockey scenes. The series had its first public showing at the Image+Nation LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Montreal on November 23, 2025. The first season began airing on Crave on November 28, 2025, and was also released at the same time on HBO Max in the United States. HBO Max had acquired the series nine days before the Canadian premiere. After the first season ended, Crave announced plans to make a second season, which is expected to be released in spring 2027. This season will be based on Reid’s 2022 sequel novel, The Long Game.

Heated Rivalry received high praise from critics, especially for Tierney’s direction, the writing, and the chemistry between the lead actors. It became the most-watched original series on Crave and was reported to be the most successful non-animated series acquired by HBO Max for its debut. Media outlets have called the series a global success and a major hit with critics.

Premise

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are professional ice hockey players who compete for opposing teams in a fictional hockey league, the Montreal Metros and Boston Raiders. Their rivalry is highlighted by media attention and public opinions, but they also form a private, casual romantic relationship that continues on and off for many years as they continue their careers.

Cast and characters

• Trevor Hayes portrays the Boston General Manager
• Kaden Connors portrays Sasha, Ilya's former sexual partner, and the son of Ilya's former coach
• Harrison Browne portrays Connors, Ilya's teammate
• Devante Senior portrays Miles, Rose's friend and co-star

• Arthur Moukhortov portrays Sorren Miitka, Shane's teammate and the Metros' goaltender
• Vitali Makarov portrays Sergei Vetrov, the Russian Minister of Interior, former Soviet goaltender, and Svetlana's father

• Aidan Shaw portrays Kolya Andropov, Shane's teammate
• Wayne Ward portrays Tom
• Billie Mary Silas and Sam Nicole Silas portray Ruby and Emma Pike, Hayden and Jackie's daughters
• Foster Blake portrays Maxime, the bartender at Le Tambour
• Tyrone Edwards portrays himself
• Lainey Lui portrays herself

Production

Heated Rivalry is based on a book series called Game Changers by Rachel Reid. The books were published from 2018 to 2027. Reid was inspired by the real-life rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin when writing the story. She also used other real-life hockey players as inspiration for the characters Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander.

Jacob Tierney first contacted Reid on August 7, 2023, after reading an article in The Washington Post about hockey romance novels. He had listened to the Game Changers series as an audiobook and wanted to turn it into a TV show. Tierney was unsure if the story could be adapted without changing its explicit content. He explained that the sexual scenes in Heated Rivalry are important for character development, not just for showing relationships. When discussing the show with potential investors, Tierney and producer Brendan Brady faced suggestions to change the story or its tone.

In January 2025, it was announced that the streaming service Crave had agreed to produce the show based on a script written by Tierney. Reid confirmed this on her blog. In March 2025, a company called Sphere Abacus helped fund the show alongside Crave and Bell Media, ensuring Tierney’s original vision remained unchanged. In June 2025, Crave officially announced the series would be available for streaming. Tierney created, wrote, and directed the show. He is an executive producer with Brendan Brady through their company, Accent Aigu Entertainment. Lori Fischburg is a producer, and Reid is a consulting producer.

In an interview, Brendan Brady said the budget for each episode was just under 3 million Canadian dollars (2.2 million U.S. dollars). Rachel Goldstein, Tierney’s creative lead at Crave, advised against including the book’s ending in the first season, as it might suggest a second season before it was confirmed. In December 2025, Crave renewed the show for a second season, with HBO Max continuing to distribute it. The second season will include the sixth book in the Game Changers series, The Long Game (2022). Tierney said the second season would not air at the same time as the first, due to delays in writing the scripts. He also mentioned that other writers might help with the season, though he plans to direct all episodes. Tierney also said he will include a scene where Shane comes out to his team, an event that happened off-page in the book.

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie play the main characters, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. Other actors include François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova. Williams and Storrie signed on for three seasons. Both worked as restaurant waiters before being cast. Tierney said it was important to find actors who looked like real hockey players and were comfortable with scenes involving nudity or intimacy. He also wanted to cast them together because their relationship is central to the story. Tierney said Williams and Storrie had strong chemistry even during their first meeting over Zoom. Casting directors Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay helped select the cast.

Storrie said he auditioned for the role without a shirt, even though it was not required. Williams met with three actors for chemistry reads, and Storrie was his favorite choice. Williams said he felt an immediate connection with Storrie, describing it as an "inexplicable X-factor." In an interview, Williams said he portrayed Shane as autistic after confirming with Reid that the character is on the autism spectrum. He said his father, who is on the spectrum, inspired him.

Nadine Bhabha, who plays Elena, was the first person cast. She is a friend of Tierney’s and was offered the role without an audition. François Arnaud, another friend of Tierney’s, was surprised by the script but later supported the project after understanding how the sexual scenes help the story. Christina Chang, who plays Shane’s mother, initially thought the script was "soft core porn" but later called it "amazing." Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, who plays Svetlana, said she wanted to challenge stereotypes about Russians in Western media, noting that Russia has many ethnic groups and cultural influences.

Principal photography for the first season began in April 2025 and took place in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, over 36 days. Scenes included a hotel room meeting in Las Vegas and hockey rink scenes filmed near the end of production. In Ontario, locations included Toronto and Hamilton, with Dundurn Castle used as a stand-in for Moscow in one scene. The McMaster Burridge Gym was used for the characters’ first meeting. FirstOntario Concert Hall was used for a party scene in Los Angeles.

All hockey scenes, including locker rooms and ice rinks, were filmed at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ontario. Real hockey players were used for background scenes, and body doubles helped with close-up shots of the main actors. Jonah De Simone doubled for Hudson Williams, and Ralph Taggart doubled for Connor Storrie.

The first-season finale was filmed in Muskoka, Ontario. Scenes in Montreal included Windsor Station, St. George’s Anglican Church, the Montreal Biosphere, and Parc Jean-Drapeau. The Montreal skyline appears in Shane’s apartment, and a picture of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal is visible in Ilya’s hotel room. The show also includes references to areas like Mile End and McG.

Release

The trailer for Heated Rivalry was released on October 9, 2025. The promotional posters for the series were photographed by Caitlin Cronenberg. On November 19, 2025, nine days before the series premiere on Crave, it was announced that HBO Max had acquired U.S. and Australian rights to the show for a day-and-date global release. HBO Max’s acquisition of the series, led by the company’s content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys and the SVP content planning and programming Jason Butler, was partly due to online social media buzz created by the Game Changers fanbase, who campaigned for global distribution. In December 2025, after the series was renewed for a second season, HBO Max purchased additional rights to the series for Latin America, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Macau, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Europe, excluding the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Turkey.

Heated Rivalry was originally scheduled for release in February 2026, after the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, in late September, Tierney and the executives decided to move the release date forward to take advantage of increased audience interest in new series during the holiday season. The series debuted on Crave with a two-episode premiere on November 28, 2025, followed by weekly episodes, with the finale airing on December 26. Before the television premiere, the first episode was shown in a preview screening in Montreal at the 2025 Image+Nation festival on November 23, 2025. The series is also streaming on Sky-owned Neon in New Zealand and Movistar Plus+ in Spain. On December 19, it began streaming on HBO Max in the Philippines. On January 10, 2026, it premiered on Sky in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In India, the series began streaming on Lionsgate Play from February 20, 2026.

The second season is expected to premiere in April 2027.

On December 10, 2025, the trailer for the series was shown at the Pride Night game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In January 2026, HBO Max and the 2026 Winter Olympics organizing committee announced that Storrie and Williams would be torchbearers for the games’ torch relay. The two actors participated on January 25 in Feltre, Italy. HBO Max was scheduled to begin streaming both Heated Rivalry and the 2026 Olympics to Italian viewers in February.

Reception

On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 89 critics gave the show positive reviews. The website’s summary states: "Jacob Tierney lovingly adapts Rachel Reid’s hockey-themed romance novels into a passionate, romantic story that celebrates true queer relationships, making Heated Rivalry a clear success." Metacritic, which calculates scores based on weighted averages, gave the season a score of 67 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Critics praised the performances of Williams and Storrie, as well as their chemistry. In The Washington Post, Rachel Kurzius wrote: "Their expressions show a mix of complex emotions, their chemistry is strong, and Storrie’s Russian accent is impressive." For their roles in the first-season finale, TVLine named both Williams and Storrie "Performers of the Week," while Film called them the strongest breakout performances of the year. Williams also received praise for his portrayal of an autistic character, with Time noting the performance’s nuanced, non-stereotypical depiction, which was supported by the Autism Research Institute. Arnaud’s portrayal of Scott received widespread acclaim. Dominic Baez of The Seattle Times compared the "Hunter" episode to the acclaimed "Long, Long Time" episode from The Last of Us, calling it "a meaningful, emotional addition" anchored by Arnaud’s powerful performance. Daniel Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter expressed disappointment that Arnaud and Storrie were ineligible for Emmy consideration due to submission rules, highlighting Scott’s championship moment and Ilya’s Russian monologue as standout scenes.

David Caballero of Collider gave the series an 8 out of 10, noting the effective early development of characters and the accessible use of hockey in the story. Kaiya Shunyata of RogerEbert.com described the series as "revolutionary" and called it "one of the most entertaining shows of the year" and "the most significant queer show of the year." In The Globe and Mail, J. Kelly Nestruck praised Tierney’s writing and direction, saying he "explores the challenges of being queer and closeted in Canada versus Russia without focusing too much on social issues." Despite not being available to legally stream in Russia due to anti-LGBTQ laws, the show achieved an 8.3 user rating on Kinopoisk, making it one of the highest-rated shows in the country. Writing for Vanity Fair, Mikhail Zygar noted that Ilya Rozanov’s story likely resonated with the Russian queer community.

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the show three stars out of five, saying it focuses too much on explicit, idealized depictions of gay sex at the expense of other parts of the story, such as character development. The show also sparked discussion about the visibility of LGBTQ people in sports and media portrayals of gay and bisexual men.

Within weeks of its release, commentators noted the show’s impact as both a queer story and a romance novel adaptation. After two episodes, Harper’s Bazaar listed it among the best queer television series of all time. By the end of the year, the series ranked among the best TV shows of 2025 on lists by Cosmopolitan, the New York Post, Refinery29, The Seattle Times, and the Toronto Star. In April 2026, British Vogue included it among the 29th best TV shows of the century. Media outlets also noted the show’s appeal to hockey fans. Vogue Adria and InsideHook highlighted the Empty Netters podcast, hosted by former ice hockey players, for its enthusiastic coverage of the series, calling it an example of "non-toxic masculinity" in the sport.

The fifth episode received widespread acclaim. Tom Smyth of Vulture and Mads Misasi of Tell-Tale TV both gave it perfect five-star ratings. Cody Schultz of Show Snob called it "a masterclass in storytelling" and one of the greatest television episodes of the year and of all time. Whitney Evans of TV Fanatic praised the episode’s structure, pacing, and Storrie’s performance, including his Russian accent work. Lissete Lanuza Sáenz of Fangirlish named it the best episode of the year, commending the performances of Williams and Storrie alongside the direction, cinematography, lighting, and writing. Lyra Hale highlighted the episode’s portrayal of intimacy as a model for romantic storytelling on television. BJ Colangelo of Film also praised the performances of Williams, Storrie, and Sophie Nélisse, and said the series and Storrie deserve Emmy recognition.

The episode also gained attention from audiences. Shortly after its release, it entered IMDb’s rankings of highest-rated television episodes, achieving a rare perfect 10 out of 10 rating. For a time, it tied with Breaking Bad’s "Ozymandias" (2013) as the only episodes to receive a perfect rating on the platform and ranked among the highest-rated episodes of all time. Following its release, the series itself entered IMDb’s Top 250 TV shows chart.

According to JustWatch, Heated Rivalry ranked fourth on its television streaming chart during the week of December 7, 2025. Whip Media, based on data from its TV Time platform, reported the series placed sixth during the weeks of December 7 and 14. FlixPatrol noted the series ranked second on HBO Max’s Top 10 most-watched series chart in the United States on November 29, behind It: Welcome to Derry. The series also debuted at number two in Australia and consistently ranks as the number one show each week. However, it ranked below the top ten in Nielsen streaming ratings because Nielsen classified the show as "acquired" by HBO Max from Crave, similar to long-running shows like Grey’s Anatomy or NCIS.

Alongside its second-season renewal, Deadline Hollywood reported the series became Crave’s most-watched original series to date, with viewership increasing by nearly 400% in its initial seven-day streaming window. Crave’s social media data showed the show had high "stickiness," with about one-third of the audience rewatching the entire season more than once. Fifteen percent of viewers completed the series five or more times, and episode five was the most rewatched.

HBO Max also noted the show is the No. 2 driver of first-time viewers on the platform since its release. The series became a significant word-of-mouth success, with an unusual growth pattern in viewership. Despite minimal marketing

Cultural impact and representation

After the 2025 premiere of the television series, lead actor Hudson Williams said the show had connected with athletes who keep their sexual orientation private. During an interview on Radio Andy, Williams shared that he and author Rachel Reid received private messages from active players in the NHL, NFL, and NBA. These athletes described their experiences of hiding their sexual orientation. Williams said these messages showed that even though the show is joyful, it also highlights the difficult challenges faced by LGBTQ athletes, which made people feel it deeply. The NHL also recognized the show’s influence, with a representative calling it a "unique driver" for attracting new fans to the sport.

The series has also been mentioned in personal stories of athletes coming out. Jesse Kortuem, a former hockey player from Minnesota, said the show Heated Rivalry inspired him to share his identity as gay. He had previously left the sport because he feared others would not accept his sexuality. Argentine field hockey player Nicolás Keenan compared an episode called "Hunter" to his own experience before publicly confirming his relationship with Dutch politician Rob Jetten.

While the show includes LGBTQ characters and has had an impact, some experts and former athletes say it has limits. Professor Adam Davies from the University of Guelph, who studies gender and sexuality, said the series increases visibility for LGBTQ people but does not address deeper issues in hockey, such as the historical exclusion of Black Canadians and ongoing scandals involving abuse. Brock McGillis, the first openly gay professional men’s hockey player, said he doubted the show would encourage players to come out. Though he praised the series, he noted that scenes showing secret relationships might make athletes worry about the risks of being openly gay in professional hockey.

The production also features LGBTQ actors in key roles. François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter, is openly bisexual. Harrison Browne, a transgender actor and former professional hockey player, appears in a supporting role. The story of Heated Rivalry matches real-world data about LGBTQ athletes. A 2025 study of over 1,700 athletes found that about 39.4 percent of female athletes and 36.5 percent of male athletes hide their sexual orientation in sports due to team culture and strongly masculine expectations. These findings match the experiences of characters Shane and Ilya, who hide their identities to protect their careers. Research on college sports also shows that while non-LGBTQ athletes rarely worry about having LGBTQ teammates, LGBTQ athletes often hear homophobic language in locker rooms.